Graphene-based materials (GBM) are growing attention in automotive industry, due to potential of development lightweight structure parts with superior mechanical performance and thermal conductivity [1]. Polyamide 6 (PA6) nanocomposites reinforced with graphene were prepared by in situ polymerization through thermoplastic resin transfer molding (T-RTM) technology. T-RTM is a promising technology for mass manufacturing of lighter automotive parts [2].
A non-isothermal crystallization study was performed using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) at four different rates (5, 10, 15, and 20 °C/min). Dobreva and Gutzow method [3,4] was applied to study the nucleation activity (Φ) of graphene in PA6 matrix. Results showed that graphene acted as an active surface by revealing Φ value lower than 1, suggesting that it acts as a nucleating agent during non-isothermal crystallization.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization, methodology, formal analysis, investigation, and writing—original draft preparation, J.L.; writing—review and editing, supervision and funding acquisition, M.O. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
The authors would like to acknowledge to Simoldes Group for partially funding this research. This is a project in collaboration with Simoldes Plásticos, S.A. This work was developed within the scope of the project CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, UIDB/50011/2020, UIDP/50011/2020 & LA/P/0006/2020, financed by national funds through the FCT/MEC (PIDDAC).
Institutional Review Board Statement
Not applicable.
Informed Consent Statement
Not applicable.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
References
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